Fazlur Rehman slams 'incompetent' Centre over coronavirus response

President Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) Maulana Fazlur Rehman slammed the federal government for its policies during the coronavirus pandemic and demanded that the problems of overseas Pakistanis be resolved immediately.

Rehman, addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, said: "Whomever takes up the mantle of the prime minister is tasked with the responsibility of representing the entire country. The federal government has its own stance and the provinces their own.

"What message are the people getting from the chaotic manner in which the country is being managed by the state elements?"

He said that looking at the neighbouring countries, it is important that Pakistan form a national consensus. "Those who cannot even manage the country's affairs, how could they form a national consensus?" he asked.

Highlighting the plight of overseas Pakistanis, he said that they were in dire need of the government’s assistance. “When a person dies abroad, no one helps them in transporting the dead bodies to the hospitals.”

“If they [overseas Pakistanis] want to bring back the dead bodies […] They receive no assistance from the government and this act is condemnable,” he said.

The consulates are not ready to contact the Pakistanis living abroad, he claimed. “People will knock on the door of their consulates; where else will they go? But the consulates have closed their doors to the people and have failed to provide relief to overseas Pakistanis."

Rehman said that his party supports all the demands of the overseas Pakistanis and wants the government to pay attention to their issues which they have failed to resolve so far.

“The JUI-F wants to bring overseas Pakistanis issue to the state’s attention over which the incumbent government has become an symbol of incompetence.”

'Bodies of COVID-19 patients be respected'

The JUI-F chief said that the bodies [of coronavirus patients] are not being handed over to the heirs. "No evidence suggests that coronavirus is transmitted from the deceased," he said.

"Even doctors tell us that if you sleep, the virus becomes inactive, so if a person dies then the virus also dies with it," he claimed.

Rehman said that during the burial of a COVID-19 infected corpse, the body is "desecrated" and "is thrown into the grave".

He demanded that the burial be done in a "respected manner and in light of religious teachings".

Expensive testing is an 'injustice'

The JUI-F president said that it was an "injustice" for people to pay Rs8,000 to get themselves tested when the government had spent billions of rupees in its response to the pandemic.

"Fear of the virus is being spread. There is no cure for the virus, but if you fear the virus, then your immune system becomes weak and it is harder to tackle the virus then," Rehman claimed, adding: "The death toll is being exaggerated. I don’t know what are they planning to do."

'Educational institutes should be reopened with SOPs'

Talking about educational institutes, he expressed disapproval that they are closed like all the government offices.

“The government failed to implement SOPs [in the mosques] and upon its failure to do so, they blamed the staff of the mosques, disrespected them, and threw them into jails,” he said.

The government educational institutions remain closed in June, July, and August every year, whereas madrassahs operate as per the Hijri calendar. They have holidays during Shaban, Ramadan, and Shawwal.

"Their holidays have come to an end. If they are not engaged in classrooms, then they will indulge in activities that the state might not approve of," he said.

“The madressahs should be reopened conditional to adherence to SOPs,” he urged.

He said that when we talk about closing all the educational institutions, we should understand that the education sector is facing a huge loss for which the government has not planned anything.

The JUI-F leader said that his party believes that all educational institutions should be reopened with all the SOPs and safety measures.

The party leader, in support of the traders association, said that small traders suffered a huge loss due to the pandemic and that the government should provide a special relief package for them.